Free Web Novel"Come to think of it, I heard someone mention I'm attending an Academy. What do they teach there?"
"Valhalla Academy has adopted a system where you can freely choose the subjects you wish to take, so you can learn many things."
"So, what subjects did I take last semester?"
"Probably theory-based subjects such as history, philosophy, political science... I believe so."
"So you don't know for sure."
"If I check the luggage Young Master brought from the Academy, I might be able to give you a more precise answer."
"That's fine. No need to go that far."
I had expected this to some extent—that the attendant wouldn't be able to give a clear answer.
Because in the original novel, there was a direct description stating, "Karvaldr had not a single person within the family he could grow attached to."
Including the story related to Hárðr, this character's unfortunate background was mentioned quite a bit.
Because of that, comments like [No one asked for a sob story from a school bully] or [Don't tell me you're trying to sell a sad story to launder your image?] were common.
'There are so many readers who left comments like that, so why did I have to be the one possessed into this novel...'
Thinking about it will only make my blood boil, so I should stop.
Anyway, getting back to the main topic, the attendant before me is polite and courteous, but nothing more.
It's closer to treating me like a guest rather than the young master of the Family.
So it's natural he wouldn't know which subjects the possessed body took last semester.
Because I'm not someone he needs to build rapport with.
He probably decided he didn't need to know detailed personal information.
If Hárðr, the head of the Family, had wanted to know, the story would have been different, but that assumption is pointless.
"Prepare a document summarizing the key points of basic knowledge I must know as a son of the Ducal Family, organized by field. For parts needing detailed explanation, add recommended literature in footnotes."
"Pardon? How am I supposed to..."
"I'm not telling you to do it yourself. This is a Ducal Family, so you can hire experts in each field, can't you?"
"Ah... yes."
"Why are you just standing there? Why do you think I asked for writing materials? There are more things I need to order, so hurry up and take notes."
I recalled the descriptions of the possessed body from the original novel and gave instructions in an arrogant tone, my brow deeply furrowed.
Watching the attendant hastily scribble with his pen, I felt uncomfortable.
It felt like I was being a jerk to a kid only in his mid-teens.
I can't act like a jerk forever, so I'll have to gradually fix it.
'Gradually' is the key word here...
"If there are organized materials, I should be able to cram knowledge into my head on my own... The most urgent thing now is self-defense, I suppose? The personal physician said I bought the poison and drank it myself, but I can hardly believe that."
The personal physician's words are likely true.
While thinking this, I intentionally muttered to myself as though trembling with anxiety.
An amnesiac needs a good reason to prioritize building strength over recovering their memories.
"Once September comes, Young Master's Familiar will be born, so you won't have to worry about self-defense."
Now that the keyword "Familiar" has come from the attendant's mouth, I can give the explanation I couldn't provide in the first chapter.
According to the worldview of 《NaSE》, a tree called "Yggdrasil" grows at the center of the imperial palace.
The fruit that grows from it is a Familiar Egg.
Direct descendants of the Midtrad ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Imperial Family and the Four Great Ducal Families receive a Familiar Egg at age seventeen, with the egg hatching on their eighteenth birthday.
When I asked about the possessed body's age, that's why the attendant didn't simply say seventeen but mentioned the upcoming September.
This shows how specially the Imperial and Ducal Families regard the eighteenth birthday, when a Familiar is born.
"A Familiar? Like that white lion from before? It would be reassuring to have such a being by my side, I suppose. But since it's a living creature, it will take some time for it to grow strong enough to guarantee my safety."
I'm very much looking forward to the Familiar being born soon, yet at the same time, I'm not looking forward to it at all.
I already know what will be born as this possessed body's Familiar.
All Familiar Eggs come from the same tree, but the species of Familiar that hatches varies by family.
As evident from Hárðr's Familiar, the Austri Ducal Family produces white-furred feline predators.
For reference, Karvaldr's older sister and brother had Familiars that took the form of a leopard and a cheetah.
This possessed body's Familiar inherited the characteristics of the feline predator with the highest hunting success rate.
The only problem is that this predator is the terribly... cute "Black-footed Cat."
The Black-footed Cat has a body length under 50 centimeters, making it one of the smallest members of the Felidae family.
Hárðr's white lion measures over 2 meters long excluding the tail, and it's said to grow to over 5 meters in Battle Mode.
The numbers alone might not convey the scale well, but you can imagine it growing to about the size of an elephant.
In contrast, Karvaldr's Black-footed Cat barely exceeds 1 meter in total length even when it enters Battle Mode and grows in size.
That's roughly the size of a typical Maine Coon.
'It might be able to take responsibility for my mental health, but it certainly won't be able to take responsibility for my safety...'
After the small and cute Familiar appeared, more people began laughing at Karvaldr behind his back.
They claimed that neither Karvaldr nor his Familiar were worthy of the Austri Ducal Family's prestige, and predicted he would be expelled from the family after graduating from the Academy.
The original story included an incident where a student gossiping in the dormitory lobby was unfortunately caught by Karvaldr as he passed by.
In the end, that student was whipped by the enraged Karvaldr and quit the Academy as if fleeing.
By now, some might be wondering why I'm suddenly talking about "whipping," so for those people, let me explain...
"In that case, I will also request a teacher to be hired to teach me some whip techniques."
That's right. Karvaldr uses a whip as his weapon.
As an aside, everyone in the Austri Family uses a whip, which makes me wonder what the original author was thinking.
It's not like the concept is an old-time circus that gave up on animal welfare, but rather a combination of feline predators and someone wielding a whip.
"Now that you mention it, if there are things that require practical training, I'd like to learn them before returning to the Academy... but right now I don't even know what I don't know, so it's difficult to give clear instructions."
"I will report on that as well. You may need to undergo various tests to assess your current level, but would that be alright?"
"The tests are fine, but tell them to skip any classes that won't be helpful in real life. I don't have much time."
"Understood."
The attendant nodded and scribbled down a series of notes on the paper.
I watched him quietly for a moment before casually bringing up the subject.
"That should be enough about education... Are there any daily routines I must perform, or important rules to follow?"
"Nothing of that nature... Oh! You must supply Ether to the Familiar Egg every day."
"How?"
"Just making contact should be enough. While Young Master was unconscious, we supplied Ether by bringing the egg into contact with you."
"The method is simple, which is nice... Hmm, Ether... Ether..."
Predicting this would get a reaction from the attendant, I muttered the word "Ether" with a pensive expression, my arms crossed.
But the attendant before me simply stood there in a polite posture, waiting.
He didn't seem to have the slightest intention of asking why, as if he wasn't even curious about my actions.
"What was Ether, and how does it move? I don't remember at all."
"I will prepare materials regarding Ether and add Ether Manipulation lessons to the curriculum."
"Yes, make sure you don't leave that out. I don't remember what it is, but it seems very important to me."
I emphasized it repeatedly.
The Academy also has Ether-related lectures, but they are conducted under the premise that one already knows how to handle Ether.
That's why I wanted to learn how to use Ether in advance, as it's an ability I must master to become stronger.
Now that I've achieved my goal, it was about time for the meal I'd been putting off.
"You may leave now and bring me a meal."
"Before that, may I ask one question?"
Since he had to come back with food anyway, couldn't he ask then?
While thinking that, I nodded.
When I had blatantly feigned being lost in thought earlier, the attendant had shown no reaction at all.
I was curious what kind of question someone like that would ask.
"Why did you remain still when you were struck by His Grace the Duke earlier?" freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Was this a question the attendant asked out of personal curiosity?
Or was he asking because he remembered Hárðr's earlier puzzlement and wanted to report back?
Or could it be that the personal physician whispered this very question to the attendant before leaving?
A new question arose, but I felt no need to ask the attendant.
My answer would be delivered to Hárðr in a report anyway.
Whatever the attendant's reason for asking, I had to treat this as a test and answer accordingly.
"So that man really was my father? Considering he entered without knocking and his age, I had a feeling, but I didn't think it was actually true."
"Were you quiet because you knew he was your father?"
"It's not so much that, but rather that he seemed to be my father, yet I didn't feel he considered me his son. The fact that he went to the trouble of coming and slapping me must mean he thought I was about to harm the family's honor and dignity."
"Trouble...?"
The boy mulled over the common word as if hearing a foreign one. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Could it be he doesn't know Hárðr's tendencies well yet?
He looks young at first glance, so perhaps he hasn't been working for the Austri Family long.
Or maybe he's just flustered, his thoughts frozen because I'm stating unconventional things in a matter-of-fact tone.
"He's a man who didn't exchange a single word with his son who just returned from the dead, and instead complained about wasting his time before leaving, isn't he? So from his perspective, it's quite a lot of trouble."
As I spoke, I couldn't help but snort at the absurdity of it all.
Then, remembering this too could be reported, I wiped the expression from my face and continued speaking seriously.
"In other words, it means it was an issue serious enough to warrant such trouble. If I had died and the culprit was a family member, we'd be criticized as a cruel household, and if it was a third party, we'd be mocked as incompetent for not being able to protect our own child... And if it became known that I took my own life, we would have had to endure all of the aforementioned criticism and ridicule."
There is a limit to how much you can hide a death.
The fact that the possessed body returned to the main Family estate, the Ducal Castle, would already be known, and he has to return to the Academy when vacation ends.
And he can't suddenly have died from an incurable disease either.
Because far too many people saw Karvaldr attending classes perfectly fine without any health issues, and even bullying the protagonist, last semester.
"Whether the truth was revealed or hidden, the Family's image would have plummeted. So he probably wanted to warn me not to do the same thing again."
"...Are you all right?"
"What do you mean?"
"His Grace the Duke is your father, right? But instead of asking, he resorted to violence out of the blue..."
"If you're asking whether I'm upset, not at all. Maybe because I have no memories, or maybe I've just completely lost all affection for him without remembering... I don't feel like he's my 'father' either. So I have no feelings about it."
To me, Hárðr is a complete stranger.
That's why I was upset about being hit for no reason, but I have no regrets.
But I wonder how he took this attitude of mine, because a look of pity appeared in the attendant's eyes as he looked at me.
